Opinion—Getting stoned without spending a penny

Seen in a store window at The Pike in downtown Long Beach, California, at 7:00 a.m. on 12/3/18.

Due to recreational weed, I got stoned on second-hand smoke while walking around The Pike and taking pictures.

We don’t allow people to walk around in public drinking recreational alcohol, so why do we let them walk around in public smoking recreational weed? Anywhere they want.

In California, cigarette/cigar/pipe smokers are required to stay 20′ away from building entrances, and some buildings require a greater distance. Either there is no such requirement for recreational weed smokers, or no one—Not buildings. Not the police. No one—is enforcing the law.

Are recreational weed smokers not considered “smokers” under the law? I know how these legal things work.

Could I wind up in jail because I’m stumbling around in public seemingly drunk but simply stoned on second-hand recreational weed smoke?

I’m thinking that recreational weed smokers need a few more regulations, perhaps a combination of alcohol and smoking laws, such as no recreational weed smoking in public, or driving under the influence of recreational weed….

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6 thoughts on “Opinion—Getting stoned without spending a penny”

Since the country has entered this bold new era, I haven’t seen any increased enforcement. However, since recreational pot smoking was “somewhat socially acceptable” before legality, most people have not changed their habits.
According to the news, we are treating recreational pot smoking like smoking. It cannot be done in school zones, or close to buildings etc.
Time will tell.

I know it was “somewhat socially acceptable,” but I have never in my almost-64-years-of-life seen it smoked so openly in public, like on downtown street corners with the police standing ten feet away, which is what I witnessed both in downtown Long Beach yesterday and Ocean Beach a few days before that. And not just one individual trying to smoke covertly. Several people standing on the corner waiting for the bus, smoking weed.

I hope police and businesses will enforce the health laws to keep secondhand smoke, no matter what it is, away from the public. A great deal of thought went into trying to prevent the experience you had.

Not everyone feels good or high on cannabis. In fact our dog became ill for over three days after ingesting a joint some kids tossed over our fence.

Also I do worry for children and those suffering from asthma like myself. Any and all smoke triggers life threatening symptoms.

My granddad smoked a pack a day. Fortunately, my wise old grandmother made him smoke outside, but he smelled horrible when he came inside, and I never enjoyed going anywhere with him in his car or truck.